Self-discharge refers to the declining state of charge of a battery while the battery is not being used. In most instances, self-discharge cannot be eliminated but needs to be managed. Too high a self-discharge rate can limit the potential applications for a battery. Depending on the battery chemistry and construction, there can be several causes…
FAQ
What are submersible sensors?
The International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC’s) standard IEC 60529 (and International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 20653) identifies the ability of an electronic device (sensor) to withstand water or dust intrusion with IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings. An IP68 product should prevent or withstand water ingression for a depth exceeding 1 meter as specified by the manufacturer […]
When should passive or active RFID be used?
The main difference between passive and active radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags is the absence (passive) or presence (active) of an internal power source. Because of these primary differences, there are several secondary differences. Understanding these differences is the key to properly selecting the most appropriate RFID system for a specific application. Passive RFID Since they […]
What is an instrument driver and why do I need one?
Instrument drivers take some of the sting out of controlling test instruments by adding an abstraction layer. Almost everyone who uses computers has had experiences with drivers, and probably not good ones. In the olden days, if you had wanted to hook an old printer up to a new computer, you would have searched through […]
How scanning electron microscopy is helping researchers develop better lithium-ion batteries
By Pamela Mansfield, JEOL USA As the market for renewable energy sources and electric vehicles grows, the need for reliable, high-capacity energy storage is increasing too. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) fit the bill in many ways, but plenty of challenges remain ahead, such as understanding their microstructure. This article describes how scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can…
Need a really long-life battery or heat? Try a radioisotope thermal source – problem solved! – Part 5
Power-generation and heating units using radioactive decay as their primary energy source have been successfully used in space and on Earth for over 60 years. RHU principles and technology are similar in many ways to those of the RTG, but with important differences in objective and implementation. Q: We’ve looked at the use of radioactive […]
Need a really long-life battery or heat? Try a radioisotope thermal source – problem solved! – Part 4
Power-generation and heating units using radioactive decay as their primary energy source have been successfully used in space and on Earth for over 60 years. Q: How much power does a single Pu-238 RTG core generate? A: The newest thermoelectric converters using PbTe/TAGS-based thermocouples can produce between 100 and 125 Watts of electrical energy from […]
Need a really long-life battery or heat? Try a radioisotope thermal source – problem solved! – Part 3
Power-generation and heating units using radioactive decay as their primary energy source have been successfully used in space and on Earth for over 60 years. This part looks at RTG operation in detail. Q: What’s this about radioactive decay and heat? A: Heat is generated when the natural or man-made unstable isotopes of elements undergo […]
Need a really long-life battery or heat? Try a radioisotope thermal source – problem solved! – Part 2
Power-generation and heating units using radioactive decay as their primary energy source have been successfully used in space and on Earth for over 60 years. This part looks at the principles and implementation of radioisotope-based heat and power. Q: What has been the solution to this challenge? A: It’s the elegant merging of two basic […]
How can sensors save energy and improve sensor node battery life?
In a battery-powered, wireless sensing node, the biggest energy consumer typically is the RF transmitter. The transceiver should have extremely low power in active, wait and even sleep modes. A one-second snapshot of the current consumption in the various portions of the transmission cycle shows the current draw of 15 mA for the 7.5-ms receive […]